Monsters exist, we say as a child
They hide in the closet and under the bed, lurking just out of sight
Our nightlights the only thing keeping them at bay
Parents smile and humor us, telling us that light keeps us safe

Then as we grow, our fears start to change
Monsters aren’t real, we learn as we age
Just tricks of the light on a coat on a hook,
Not a figure trying to grab us at night

We laugh at the memories, joke with our friends
“We were so young,” we say, now we know the truth
We lose our fears, and go to bed calm
There are no monsters lurking in the dark

As we grow wiser and older still
We tell our own children the same things our parents once said
“Monsters aren’t real,” we promise them all
“It’s just your imagination, a coat on the wall.”

But deep down, we all know the truth
The thing we hope our children never learn
That monsters are real, they do exist
They are the demons inside our own heads